No-spill ring for a bowl

ABSTRACT

A no-spill ring that slides onto a bowl and which catches accidental spills that may escape from the top lip of the bowl. The ring has a proximal aperture wall, a floor and a distal wall forming a radial trough. The proximal wall frictionally fits onto the distal wall of a bowl in a watertight way. The distal wall prevents liquids from spilling out to a user&#39;s hand or other surfaces. The ring is injection molded from a resilient material such as silicone or TPE. A pair of opposed, integrally molded handles extend out from the ring to allow a person to carry a hot bowl without getting burned.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of spill resisting devicesand more specifically to a no-spill ring accessory that attaches to abowl containing food items such as hot soup.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INSTANT INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a resilient troughshaped ring that can be attached around the perimeter of a bowl that cancatch liquid such as hot soup or other food items that may accidentallyspill from the lip of the bowl.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, anembodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there isdisclosed a no-spill ring made of injection molded resilient plastic orrubber that can fit snuggly around the perimeter of a bowl, the ringhaving a raised distal perimeter wall, a floor and an proximal resilientaperture wall forming a radial trough, snugly conforming to the outsidewall of a bowl used for holding food items such as hot soup, theresilient quality of the proximal aperture wall allowing the no-spillring to adhere to the distal wall of the bowl via frictional forces, thering also including a pair of opposing, outwardly extending handles fora person to hold onto while transporting the bowl when the contents ofthe bowl are hot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments to the instant invention, which may be embodied invarious forms. It is to be understood that in some instances variousaspects of the instant embodiments may be shown exaggerated or enlargedto facilitate an understanding of the instant invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention mounted on a standard soupbowl.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the no-spill ring attached to a bowl.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the no-spill ring as it is about to beattached to a bowl.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the no-spill bowl ring without the bowl.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may beembodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailedsystem, structure or manner.

Referring now to FIG. 1 we see a perspective view of the no-spill ringof the present embodiment 100. The ring 100 is made of resilientmaterial such as thermoformed silicone or TPE. It includes a proximalaperture wall 12A, a floor 8 and a distal wall 6 forming a radialtrough. A pair of handles 2, 4 are integrally attached to the distalwall 6 allowing a person to carry a bowl 10 that may contain a hot fooditem such as hot soup. The proximal wall 12A fits snuggly against thedistal wall of the bowl 10 and is held in place by frictional forces.The elasticity of the proximal wall 12A allows the embodiment 100 to fiton a variety of diameters of bowls. If liquid or other food items isaccidentally spilled over the lip of the bowl 10, it will be caught andtrapped by the extending ring formed by proximal wall 12A, floor 8 anddistal wall 6.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the present embodiment 100 frictionallyattached to a bowl 10. Handles 2, 4 are molded onto the distal wall 12of the no-spill ring comprised of proximal wall 12, floor 8 and distalwall 6.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the bowl 10 about to beinserted into the no-spill ring of the present embodiment 100. Theproximal aperture wall is made up of an upper portion 12A that extendsupward from the floor 8 and a lower portion 12 that extends down fromthe floor 8. The diameter of lower portion 12 of the proximal aperturewall is tapered inward to allow the wall 12, 12A to fit snuggly onto thedistal surface of a bowl, whose shape also tends to tapper inward fromtop to bottom. The snug fit is water-tight meaning that any spilledliquid will remain in the trough shaped radial ring formed by proximalwall 12A, floor 8 and distal wall 6, and not be able to fall to thefloor of a kitchen or dining area.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the embodiment 100 clearlyshowing proximal wall 12, 12A, floor 8 and distal wall 6 as well asattached handles 2, 4.

The above described and illustrated embodiment 100 allows a user tosafely transport a bowl of hot soup or other hot food items without thedanger of the hot soup or other food items contacting the hands of thecarrier, and also insures that any accidentally spilled items will notfall to the floor, but instead, remain trapped within the radial troughformed by proximal wall 12 A, floor 8 and distal wall 6.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention tothe particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended tocover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may beincluded within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

1-5. (canceled)
 6. A device for safely carrying a liquid filled bowl,wherein the bowl comprises a tapered wall, the device comprising: aring-shaped trough made of resilient material, the ring-shaped troughcomprised of a proximal wall, a distal wall, and a bottom, thering-shaped proximal trough wall having a top diameter, wherein thering-shaped trough proximal wall being tapered toward the bottom, thering-shaped trough further comprising two handles; and the bowl having abrim diameter, wherein the bowl brim diameter is larger butapproximately equal to the ring-shaped trough proximal wall topdiameter, the ring-shaped trough slid around the bowl, securely fit justbelow the bowl brim held to the bowl by frictional forces.
 7. The devicefor safely carrying a liquid filled bowl of claim 6, wherein each handleis essentially u-shaped comprised of two side members and a crossmember, the two parallel side members each having a first end integrallyattached to the ring-shaped through, the handle side members each havinga second end away from the ring-shaped through, wherein the second endsare joined by the cross member; and wherein furthermore the two handlesbeing radially symmetrically extending from the ring-shaped troughopposite each other.